Mascara is one of the oldest known cosmetics. Since biblical times women have used it to lengthen and color their eyelashes. The earliest mascaras were pressed cakes containing soap and colored pigments. When a water wetted brush was touched to the cake, the moisture caused the mascara particles to cling to the bristles and produce a color payoff onto the lashes. Cake mascaras were popular for many years. However, the results achieved with cake mascaras often depended on the technique of the user and how much water was applied to the cake to make the emulsion.
In order to eliminate the inconsistency of cake mascaras, cream mascaras were developed. The water was added to the other mascara ingredients to provide a creamy emulsion which was packaged in a tube. A separate brush was sold with the tube. When the user wanted to apply mascara to the lashes, the tube was squeezed and the mascara ejected onto the brush. Cream mascara had the advantage of uniform consistency and texture, ease of application, and good drying qualities. But the tube container had definite disadvantages because the amount of mascara ejected from the container was difficult to control.
The invention of the "Mascaramatic" applicator revolutionized the mascara industry. The Mascaramatic applicator was similar to today's mascara containers except that the applicator was a grooved rod instead of a brush. These applicators also had a metering device that controlled the amount of mascara dispensed onto the applicator as it was withdrawn from the reservoir.
Today mascara is one of the most widely used cosmetics. In the traditional beauty regimen, the eyelashes are first curled with an eyelash curler. Mascara is then applied to color and lengthen the lashes. Curled eyelashes tend to "open" the eyes up and make them look bigger. The lengthening and coloring effect of the mascara on the eyelashes accentuates the eyes and enhances beauty. Many different types of mascaras in many colors are now available, and some are more popular than others. Since lash lengthening, thickening, and coloring is the effect to be achieved with mascaras, the formulations which perform these functions best tend to be most popular. Lash lengthening is a property which can always be improved. Moreover, most of the commercial mascara preparations do not provide a curling effect to the lashes.
An object of the invention is to provide a mascara formulation which provides superior lengthening and coloring effects to the lashes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mascara formulation which causes the eyelashes to curl.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mascara composition which provides superior adherence to lashes, thus necessitating only one application.